The efficient management of large sets of computer-based data is a difficult task. In addition to the physical hardware requirements needed to effectuate the storage of the data, once the data is stored, the management and organization of the data may prove daunting.
Databases are often used to manage and maintain large sets of data, such that the data is organized around a defined database structure. When retrieving data stored within the database, the individual records of the database must be searched. Unfortunately, as the number of records within the database increases, the search time associated with retrieving the data increases dramatically, which often results in unacceptable delay times and latency.